Tehran, Jan 17 (EFE).- Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, acknowledged on Saturday that “several thousand” people died in the protests that shook the country in recent weeks, blaming the violence and destruction on the United States and President Donald Trump.
The religious leader said “ignorant and misinformed elements, under the leadership of malicious and trained agents,” carried out crimes that “caused the death of several thousand people.”
He made the remarks at a religious gathering in Tehran, according to statements published on his official website and reported by the Tasnim news agency.
Iranian authorities have not provided official figures for the death toll. However, opposition NGOs based in exile estimate that nearly 3,500 people have been killed and around 19,000 detained.
Khamenei said that “extremely inhuman acts” were committed during the unrest, including locking and burning young people alive in mosques and killing “defenseless girls, men and women” with weapons allegedly supplied from abroad.
He also claimed that 250 mosques and more than 250 educational and scientific centers were destroyed, and that damage was caused to electricity facilities, banks, health facilities, and stores selling basic goods.
“We consider the US president a criminal for the casualties, damages, and the slander he inflicted on the Iranian nation,” Khamenei said during a religious ceremony in Tehran attended by thousands of people.
He described the unrest as “an American plot,” adding that “the United States’ goal is to devour Iran.”
Khamenei said that in previous episodes of unrest, Western involvement was generally limited to journalists or second-tier officials, but argued that this time the situation was different.
“Trump himself intervened in this unrest, made statements, encouraged the rioters, and said we will provide military support,” he said.
The supreme leader also claimed that agents selected by the intelligence services of the United States and Israel were operating inside Iran to provoke unrest and influence the population.
He stressed that Iran would not seek a military confrontation, but warned that those responsible would not go unpunished.
“We will not lead the country toward war, but we will also not leave domestic and international criminals unpunished,” he said, adding that “the United States must answer for its actions.”
At the same time, Khamenei acknowledged the economic roots of the unrest, admitting that “the economic situation is not good and people are struggling to make a living,” and urged government officials to redouble their efforts.
The protests began on Dec. 28, when merchants in Tehran closed their shops in response to the sharp fall of the rial, before quickly spreading nationwide. Demonstrators chanted slogans such as “Death to the Islamic Republic” and “Death to Khamenei.”
The unrest intensified on Jan. 8 and 9, when demonstrations erupted across much of the country and escalated into vandalism of public institutions, according to the Iranian government.
Tehran maintains that the initially economic protests turned violent due to the infiltration of external agents backed by Israel and the United States, allegedly seeking to justify a possible military intervention.
President Trump had threatened to attack Iran if the death toll continued to rise, when official figures stood at seven, and later said that “help is on the way,” a remark widely interpreted as a warning of possible intervention. EFE
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